


Three Days to Make You Love Me

by orphan_account



Series: Solangelo [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M, solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-22
Updated: 2014-10-25
Packaged: 2018-02-22 04:21:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2494262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Just you wait sunshine! Over these next three days, I’m going to make you love me.” </p><p>When Nico is stuck in the hospital per his agreement with Will, he is forced to face all those feelings that he has been keeping inside for centuries. Including the newest feeling, which may have something to do with a certain blonde haired Apollo kid.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was born out of the desire to write cute fluffy solangelo but have it more developed. Meaning both Will and Nico have issues to work out before beginning anything. Also I just REALLY wanted to give closure to Nico in all aspects because that kid deserves it. So what did I come up with? A cliched three days in the hospital story...but oh well! Its solangelo.

The first day was the worst. Well, at least the beginning was. Will had shoved him down onto a bed and asked him a bunch of personal questions that he claimed were ‘medical’. And he was smiling like an idiot the whole time, which Nico couldn’t even fathom why. 

“What am I even supposed to do in here for three days? There isn’t even a tv.” Not that Nico did much tv watching but that wasn’t really the point.  
Will dug something out of his pocket and tossed it to him. Nico caught it and was surprised to find that it was a cell phone. One of those high end smart phones to be more exact.  
“Where did you even-“

“Don’t ask. All you need to know is that the Hermes cabin is very resourceful.”  
Nico couldn’t argue with that. He flipped the phone over and scowled when he saw the black cover case with a bejeweled pink skull and bones. “Is this supposed to be your idea of a joke?”

Will tried unsuccessfully to hide his snickering. “Hey, don’t look at me. This is what the Stoll brother gave me. Personally, I think it’s cute.”  
“Screw you.”  
“Aww, don’t be like that! Look,” Will plopped down on the bed and took the phone from his hands. He pushed several buttons and took him to the app screen. “I hooked you up with all the coolest apps. See? Here’s Flappy Bird, Fruit Ninja, oh-and even Five Nights At Freddys.”

Nico stared at Will like he was crazy. He’d never heard of any of those things. Well, to be fair he hadn’t heard of most modern things but still.  
Will’s mouth had formed a perfect ‘O’ by this point. “We need to move you into the modern world, Death boy.”  
“Don’t call me-“

Will flapped his hand in a ‘yeah yeah heard it all before’ motion. He kept scrolling through the screens until he came to one app that had a yellow screen with a ghost on it. Nico was about to comment on Will’s awful sense of humor but he opened the app and snapped a picture.  
“Hey!”

Will smiled and took his finger, drawing three red whiskers on each of Nico’s cheeks. He wrote underneath ‘someone’s a happy patient’ and clicked the send button.  
“Who did you send that to?!”  
“Hazel. And Reyna. And all the rest of your friends. I went ahead and put them all in your contact list. You can go ahead and thank me now.”  
“So this is what you plan to do for the next three days? Annoy the shit out of me?”

Will huffed and plopped the phone back into his hands. “Who else am I supposed to talk to in here? Everyone is either too busy trying to save patients or trying not to die. It gets pretty morbid.” He sniffed. “So yeah, you’re my saving grace.”

Nico was shocked. He, Nico di Angelo, the person who could summon legions of the undead be someone’s savior? If Will didn’t look so serious he would’ve accused him of joking. Something inside of Nico’s stomach decided to flutter in that moment and his face was getting extremely hot. He must be getting a fever. Yeah, that must be it.  
“Anyway,” Will hopped up off the bed and stretched. “I have to go make the rounds. So stay here and be a good little patient. And no underworldly stuff, either! Or there will be dire consequences.”

Nico must’ve had a weird look on his face because Will just doubled over and laughed. “You don’t want me to do my Taxi Cab Whistle again do you?”  
When Nico fervently shook his head, Will winked at him and went out the door. “Just you wait sunshine! Over these next three days, I’m going to make you love me.”  
Nico’s white face went absolutely red. 

***

While scrolling through his new phone’s contact list, Will hadn’t lied. He had included absolutely everyone. His name was at the very top, which Nico didn’t know if that was intentional or not. Then there was Hazel, Jason, Reyna, Piper, Frank, Annabeth, some campers that he had never heard of before, Lou Ellen, Dakota, Couch Hedge (which Nico couldn’t even imagine what they would talk about.) And at the very, very bottom was Percy Jackson. Which again, left Nico wondering if that was intentional.  
When Nico now thought about Percy, he didn’t get that soul churning sadness that he would usually have. Maybe the intense battle had snapped him out of his unrequited crush or maybe the bond that he’d developed with Reyna. Maybe her strength had lingered in him and had given him the courage to go and confess his feelings. But Nico couldn’t shake the feeling it was something else. Either way, it was relieving because he could finally look at Percy and Annabeth without wanting to jump back into the depths of Tartarus.  
At about 2:30 he received his first text. 

Will Solace@2:30  
How ya doin sunshine?   
Nico didn’t know if he hated Deathboy or sunshine more. 

Nico di Angelo@2:31  
Bored out of my skull. Thinking of summoning Jules-Albert Then at least I could stare at something other than these horrid pastel walls  
Will Solace@2:32  
Ok 1. Who is Jules-Albert? 2. I already told you no underworld stuff do you want to be punished?! 3. If you wanted something cute to look at you should’ve just asked.  
Incoming Image  
A picture of Will pretending to choke filled Nico’s screen. Even though his eyes were scrunched and his tongue was sticking out at an odd angle, Nico couldn’t help but find his sandy blonde hair and-were those dimples?-incredibly endearing. The longer he stared at it, the more his cheeks hurt. Then he realized he was actually smiling. Damn. This was a weird day. 

Will Solace@2:35  
Ok, but seriously who is Jules-Albert?  
Nico di Angelo@2:37  
My zombie chauffeur. Gift from Dad.  
Will Solace@2:36  
As cool as that is and trust me we WILL BE DISCUSSING THAT LATER no summoning dead guys

After Nico had promised not to summon any French zombies, Will sent him a picture of him grinning ear to ear with him flashing the camera a thumbs up. He oddly felt kind of bad that Will was the only one sending pictures so he sent one back where, he at least, thought he was half way smiling.  
At around 3:00 Reyna came to visit him. She smiled when she saw him and without even a second thought he had wrapped his arms around her. She reciprocated warmly and hugged him fiercely. He remembered the days when he used to hug Bianca like this. The same tight, never let anything bad happen to you, don’t worry everything will be ok, type of hugs. When they pulled away he felt strangely at ease. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled, embarrassed. 

“It’s ok, Nico. I wanted to come see how you were doing. You did a lot, you know? You should be very proud.”

He twisted the skull ring on his finger nervously. “Not really. A lot of people are far worse off than me. I shouldn’t even be in here. I’m just wasting space.”

Reyna had a sad look on her face when he said those last words. Without thinking, she reached up and tucked a stray piece of hair behind his ear. “Don’t say that. Without you, the Athena Parthenos would never have made it here. The camps would have gone to war. You did a very brave thing and put yourself in serious danger. I consider you a true Roman, Nico di Angelo.” 

He-he didn’t even know how to process those words. How could someone like him be brave? Be a hero? That role was for other demigods, like Jason or Percy. He was just someone who lived in the shadows. And that was what he did. That wasn’t bravery. “I-I think you’re mistaken.” He told her.  
“I actually should confess something to you.” She looked guilty. 

“What?”

“When we shadow-traveled, I ended up feeling a lot of your heartbreak, your suffering. You-you’ve been through so much for just one person. It honestly reminded me of myself. I want you to know you don’t have to face things alone anymore.”  
“What do you mean you saw my suffering?”

Her face told him everything. So she had seen-oh….His face was flaming by that point. So she knew his deepest secrets now.  
“And you don’t hate me?”

Reyna half laughed, half sighed. She wrapped him in another hug. “I already told you I don’t. Nico, you accepted me when I told you about my darkest secret. Why wouldn’t I do the same?”  
“Maybe because most people don’t,” he mumbled. 

“Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano is no ordinary person.” Wasn’t that the understatement of the year? “I’ve already informed the other campers that you are officially an honorary Roman and you will have full honors at the camp. If you so choose, you will always have a place there.”

Again Nico had no idea what to say to that so he just mumbled a ‘thank you’. If Reyna sensed his embarrassment she didn’t let on, which he was incredibly thankful for. She got up to go and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I must go now. But please get some rest now. You need it.”  
“Y-yeah. U-m..thanks.”  
She smiled and went out of the infirmary.  
***

Nico’s stomach felt like it was going to collapse in on itself any minute. He was about to get up and try to go find some food when Will came staggering in with an enormous haul. Everything from Doritos, Little Debbie snack cakes, Skittles, Cheetos, Oreos, Sour Cream and Chedder Lays chips, and a six pack of Mountain Dew was thrown onto the bed.  
“And here I was thinking you weren’t going to feed me.”

Will laughed nervously and ruffled the back of his head. “Yeah, sorry about that.” He cleared a space on the bed and plopped down in front of Nico. He grabbed a red bag and tore it open, offering it to him. Nico hurriedly grabbed a handful of Bugles and stuffed them into his mouth. Never had anything tasted so good.  
“So how’s my patient been today?” Will’s hand now resembled that of a wild Harpy. He stuck his thumb and forefinger into his mouth sucking up the treat. “What you’ve never done this?”  
Nico shook his head.

Will just laughed at him. “I used to do this all the time when I was a kid. This is the only way you can eat these things.” He stuck the rest of his fingers in front of Nico’s mouth. “Go ahead and try. Don’t worry, I washed my hands.” 

As if that were the problem! But Nico found himself sucking on the blonde’s finger anyway, slurping the treat into his mouth and tasting the saltiness. Will pulled his hand away and licked the remaining mess away. The same finger that Nico had just… He hurriedly looked away and jammed a Little Debbie snack into his mouth.  
“You should try these, too.” Will passed him a brightly colored box in a language he couldn’t understand. “I’m still trying to figure out how the Hermes kids get all this foreign stuff.” His calloused fingers brushed against Nico’s as he took the candy. A small jolt went up the back of his spine. Apollo kids really were warm…Then he realized that’s because both of his hands were incased in Will’s firm grip. 

“What are you doing?!” He tried to jerk away but Will, stubborn as always, held fast.  
“You have a fever.”  
“Do not. You’re just making that up so I’ll be stuck here.”  
Will snorted. “Don’t flatter yourself, sunshine. You are waaay to warm for it to be normal. Usually you’re cold as ice.” 

How would you know that? Nico thought to himself. Will pressed the back of his hand against Nico’s forehead. His touch felt nice, like sitting next to a space heater during winter or being outside in the warm sun. Hands traveled down to his cheek and caressed them lightly. Nico felt his breath hitch lightly. Every nerve in his body felt like it was fire and Will was so close…He really was tan. Not one of those leathery tans, either. A healthy brown glow that showed he spent much time out in the sun. His hair was the same color as Jason’s but more unruly and all over the place. Nico noted that his nose seemed slightly slanted like it had been broken and hadn’t set right. 

“You like staring at my face?” Will smirked up at him. Immediately whatever had been holding them together broke and Nico withdrew himself.  
“Not a chance,” he pouted. “Just wondering why they would let someone like you in here.”

Will pretended to be hurt, putting his hand to his heart and gasping. “I’m the best healer around here, thank you very much.”  
Nico snorted. 

“Ok, ok. Just for that, I won’t bring you a pudding cup at breakfast tomorrow. You’ll just get crappy cherry jello.”  
“Maybe I don’t want your pudding cup,” Nico countered. 

Will cocked an eyebrow at him. He snatched the cream pie, that Nico was about to eat, out of his hands. “Hey!”  
“Then you don’t get this, either.” 

Nico flung himself out of the bed and tried to grab at the stolen food but Will danced away, laughing like a wood nymph. He scowled and started lobbing snack cakes at his head.  
“You. Are. So. Childish!” One of the pastries managed to hit its target, smearing white cream all over Will’s cheek and nose. He looked so ridiculous standing there gawking at Nico with an oatmeal pie stuck to him that Nico did the unthinkable: he laughed. Not just any laugh. A doubling over, clenching the sides sort of laugh. He clutched at his mouth to try and hold in the giggles but they just kept bursting forth one after the other. When he stood up gasping for air, he found that he couldn’t see Will through the tears in his eyes. He wipes them with the back of his hand and tries to control the little hiccups coming out of his mouth. 

After what seemed like forever, he managed to control himself. Will was staring at him like he had lost his mind. He grabs a spare blanket off the bed and drapes it across his shoulders. “You must really be sick if you’re laughing like this.” Will was so close now that Nico could feel the natural heat that radiated off of him. His brain was screaming at him to withdraw, to run away like he always did from physical touching. However, the rest of his body wanted to nestle against this amazing warmth and just….sleep. He hadn’t even realized how exhausted he was until just now. Will’s eyes were half lidded, almost lust filled. For a split second they were so close that Nico thought he would close the gap completely. But Will just let out a soft laugh and said, “Not that it’s a bad thing to hear you laugh. Almost as good as the music in the Apollo cabin.” 

Nico involuntary blushed. He tried to think of some snarky comeback to something so cheesy-were all kids of Apollo this bad? But his brain had short-circuited and all he could muster was a breathy, “Uh.” 

“You look exhausted, sunshine. Take a nap. Doctor’s orders.”  
Usually Nico had no problem with falling asleep but ever since the battle he had the most awful case of insomnia. Every time he tried to close his eyes they were filled with the faces of Octavian, Bryce, and even Leo. Will seemed to sense his unease. He pulled out his phone and a pair of headphones, handing one of the ear buds to Nico. 

“Usually music helps me sleep.”  
Nico nodded and slipped in one of the buds. Instantly his entire body was wrapped in the pleasantness of a gentle melody and he could feel himself falling asleep with his eyes filled with the sight of Will’s face. 

***  
When Nico felt himself slipping back into the realm of consciousness, he experienced a feeling he hadn’t in a long time. Safety. He opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of Will’s green hospital scrubs.  
“Hey, sleepyhead. You know you almost snored my ear off?”  
Nico looked up and found Will grinning down at him. His cheek was smushed up against part of Will's upper arm. They were tucked at an odd angle. Nico's head leaning against half of Will's shoulder. Will's other arm was dangerously close to his hip bone; his fingers grazing gently against his stomach where his t-shirt had rolled up. Had he actually...? “Uh…how long was I asleep?”  
“About seven hours. The sun’s about to come up outside.” 

Seven hours?! Then that meant… Without warning, Nico sprang out of the bed and ran out of the room. He could feel Will calling after him but he could barely hear him over the ringing in his ears. His heart felt like it was about to come out of his chest and he just wanted to get as far away from that room as possible. He kept running until he ran into something. Or someone. 

Smack dab into Percy Jackson.


	2. Day Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if anything was confusing last time. I tried to make this chapter more concise. Hopefully I succeeded!

Nico’s POV

Nico thought that he was very good at running away from things. Especially….people things. When he had woken up this morning he hadn’t expected Will to be laying right next to him…staring. And looking really, really good. Nico could only imagine how he himself looked. His hair was sticking up in every direction and looked more unkempt than it usually did. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand where spit had dried. Sexy. Thinking back on it, he probably could have handled the situation better. But when had he ever handled people well? At least dead people didn’t manage to look so incredibly charming in the morning. Gods, why was he being so stupid? Nico had been so consumed by his thoughts that he didn’t even notice what was in front of him until he bumped into someone. He let out a little yelp and looked up to apologize. Straight into the face of Percy Jackson. Great. This day was getting better and better by the second. 

“There you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”   
Before Nico could ask why Percy had been looking for him, he grabbed Nico’s arm and started pulling him in the direction of Cabin Two. “Wha-what are you doing?”  
Percy hauled him into the Poseidon cabin and shut the door. “We need to talk.” 

Nico’s stomach seemed to bottom out. No, we really don’t. But Percy was pacing back and forth in front of the door, eliminating all chances of escape.   
“Why didn’t you tell me?! Geez, I was so blindsided! And Annabeth was grinning like she knew the whole time? I know I can be pretty dense but this just takes it to a whole new level. I mean why-“

Nico threw his hands up before Percy could finish. “Just stop. I already know what you want to say. How could this demigod be so…abnormal, freakish? What do they call it now in the modern age? Gay? This guy can already control the dead but now he has to add this to the list as well? I know all this already so you don’t have to keep telling me.”  
Percy eyes widened and looked like huge saucers. “Dude, no. I mean if I had known I would have been a lot more careful with your feelings.”

Nico was taken aback. He had imagined himself thousands of times telling Percy how he felt and every scenario came out different. Most always involved him getting punched in the face with a giant wave or Percy running away in disgust. Never in a million years had he expected to get this reaction.   
“I keep thinking of all the times where you kept seeing me with Annabeth aboard the Argo II. That couldn’t have been easy. If I had known…I guess I would have tried to be more discreet about it.”  
“Really?” 

“Yeah!” He ruffled the back of his head. “I always thought you hated me. You were always looking at me with these hurt eyes and I-well now I know why-but then I assumed it was because of…well, you know.”  
“Bianca. It’s ok, you can say her name. I don’t blame you for what happened…anymore.”

Percy let out a huge sigh. He looked extremely relieved like a huge weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. “Really? Good, cause for the longest time I did. Knowing I had failed to protect two children of Hades wasn’t a pleasant feeling. I’m really sorry I couldn’t save her, Nico. I really am.”  
Thinking of Bianca always made him emotional so he pushed all those thoughts aside. He’d be damned if he cried in front of Percy. “I did blame you…I guess it was easier to blame someone than just accept it. But I talked to Bianca, you know down in the Underworld. She told me not to hold anything against you. She’d chosen her fate. There wasn’t anything anyone could do.” 

Damn. Nico quickly swiped at his eyes. This was not the time to be getting emotional. Percy walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.   
“That’s big of you, man. You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you. I mean maybe it’s too soon now, but in the future maybe we could be friends?”  
“We’re already friends,” Nico muttered. Percy flashed him the biggest grin he’d ever seen. He clapped him on the shoulder. Hard. Geez, this guy was almost as bad as Jason. “So…you don’t think I’m weird or gross for liking guys?”

“Dude, I think my very first step-dad is gross. I think those giants that we faced were gross. You? Totally normal.”   
Nico’s breath hitched. Normal. Ever since he could remember that word had never applied to him. Before he had even found out that he was the son of a god, Nico had always felt like an outcast. He could remember news reports on the radio broadcasting how wrong people like him were. How these people shouldn’t exist and how laws were in place to stop that sort of criminal and sinful behavior. People like him had been declared mentally handicapped. Even before there were proper names for it, Nico knew something was wrong with him because he couldn’t read properly or ever sit still. He had prayed to every god in the Mythomagic universe to be normal. The gods apparently hadn’t answered that prayer but now he was becoming more okay that they hadn’t. If Jason and now Percy had accepted him then maybe there was less wrong with him than he thought.   
Something buzzed in the back of Nico’s pants. He had forgotten that he still had his new phone. He pulled it out and saw that he had a text from Will. 

Will Solace@8:30  
Hey I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to freak you out or anything. 

Gods…Nico was beginning to think he had a special talent for making a fool out of himself. He didn’t even know how he should respond. ‘Oh, hey it’s no big deal. I only freaked out because I might think you’re semi- good looking and ran away like a huge dork.’ 

“Dude, you ok? Cause you’re blushing like crazy.” Percy caught his eyes and smirked.   
“What? It’s nothing. Just some annoying guy I know.”   
“Did this annoying guy happen to give you that phone?” Percy waggled his eyebrows and Nico scowled at him. 

“It’s not like that. He just gave it to me so he could annoy me more often.”   
Percy scoffed and gave him a ‘yeah sure’ look. Nico’s phone suddenly buzzed again. 

Will Solace@8:34  
I hope you’re happy, sunshine. I just stuck a needle into the wrong vein and it’s all your fault. If I kill someone, you’ll have to follow them to the Underworld and explain to them why Will Solace wasn’t on his A- game today. 

“Gods, you’re an idiot,” Nico muttered under his breath.   
“This guy wouldn’t happen to be the reason why I’m not your type anymore, is it?”   
Nico jammed the phone back into his pocket and turned to leave. “Geez, you’re almost annoying as Will.”

“Woah!” Percy caught him by the arm and spun him around. “Will Solace? That’s the guy you like?”  
Nico’s whole face lit up three shades of red. “I-I do not like him! I’m only around him so much because I stupidly promised him I’d stay in the infirmary for three days.”   
“Because you like him.” Percy had a classic stupid Percy grin on his face and Nico was now wondering why he ever liked this guy so much. 

“I’m leaving now.”   
“Say hi to Will for me! I guess my black hair can’t compete with natural blondes, can they?”   
“Go to Tartarus!”  
“Already been!”  
**

Will’s POV

For the best healer in the Apollo cabin, Will was getting yelled at an awful lot today. He had already mixed up various medicines for patients, wrapped an Ace bandage on the wrong limb, and made various people scream because he had stuck them with a needle to hard. Finally Kayla, perhaps maybe the second best healer and Will’s close friend, ushered him out of the room.

“Gods Will, why don’t I just go ahead and put in the Ares kids in charge of the sick? I’m sure they would be doing a lot better job than you in there.” 

Will shuffled his feet and mumbled out an apology. He usually wasn’t this big of an idiot. Will hadn’t meant to be a major creeper and scare Nico off. Anyone could tell that Nico was suffering. No one’s eyes were that hollow and sunken in. No one was that pale. If he was being completely honest with himself, one of the major reasons he had forced Nico to stay in the infirmary was because Will recognized a lot of warning signs in the boy. He was obviously suffering from depression. Maybe it was because he was the son of Apollo or maybe because he had seen his mom suffer with it, but the way Nico withdrew into himself-the way his eyes always looked downward when people talked to him-all signs. It didn’t help that he looked like the slightest gush of wind would blow him away. Will knew there was no way he could make Nico better. But Will was hoping he could at least be a friend-maybe something more if he was still being honest. 

Ok, he wanted to be a lot more. It was in the Battle of Manhattan that Will first noticed the son of Hades. Even if he didn’t know it himself, Nico saved a lot of lives. Will had already lost two of his friends. His archery wasn’t even making a dent in all the monsters and more demigods were dying by the second. No time for him to try and save them. Then here came this incredible force that was Nico di Angelo. Together he and Hades had blasted tons of monsters to dust with a skeletal army right out of the Underworld. Will had never seen a god fight side by side with their offspring before. But there Nico was, side by side with the Lord of the Dead and completely holding his own. It had given Will plenty of time to save some of the wounded and his friends. Embarrassingly, Will had been entranced ever since. He tried multiple times after the battle to talk with Nico. But Nico was hard to pin down. And just as quickly as he came, he vanished again. 

Seeing Nico again after all these years on yet another battlefield, Will had been so relieved. He wasn’t going to let another chance slip by him again. He really hadn’t meant to be so clingy but he also hadn’t expected Nico to look so…dead. His beautiful olive skin tone was completely gone and replaced with yellow hollowed skin. Will had no idea what this guy had to endure, but he was determined to find out.  
“Yo! Earth to Will!” Kayla was waving a hand in his face trying to get his attention. “What is going on in that head of yours?”

“Nothing! I swear,” he said.   
“Well, obviously something is. So spit it out already. And don’t think I haven’t noticed you fiddling with your phone all day.”   
Will could never get anything past Kayla. So he sighed and told her everything. She listened with a stern face but didn’t say anything until he was done. When he was done, she laughed.   
“What?!”  
“I’m sorry, Will. But to me it sounds like you let your ass overload your mouth again.”

Will did have a tendency to blurt things out. Everyone always told him that he had no concept of boundaries or personal space. He just barreled in, guns blazing. Or I guess in his case it would be a bow and arrow.   
“Ok, then tell me wise one; what do I do?”  
“Stop fiddling on your phone and stop moping around the infirmary. If you want to talk to him, go find him.”   
“You’d cover my shift for me?”  
“Trust me, I’d be doing everyone in there a favor.” 

Will smiled and patted Kayla on the shoulder, then he ran off to find his runaway patient. He checked the Hades cabin first but the only thing in there was some rancid décor. He checked the mess hall, the pavilion, the weapon’s room, and even the practice fields. Nothing. No sign of him. It was like he had vanished into thin air.   
As soon as that thought came into his mind, Will’s throat constricted. What if he did go? Sure he said he would stay, but Nico was anything but predictable. What if Will had missed yet another chance? He whipped out his phone and typed in a message:   
Please don’t leave, Nico. Geez, you’re really screwing with me here ya know? I’ve liked you for years and how am I supposed to coerce you into liking me back if you just up and leave?

Will read the message over and over, then deleted the whole thing. Instead he just sent:  
Where are u? Don’t think you’re off the hook just because you went A.W.O.L  
Will jogged across the camp and made for the strawberry fields. But the only people there were wood nymphs and satyrs. Finally he tried the beach. He stepped on the sand dunes and looked around. Nothing.

He really did leave then. Damn it! He picked up a nearby stone and hurled it into the sea. “Damn you, son of Hades!” He yelled into the wind. “Why are you always running from people? I-I would try to be there for you, if only you’d let me. STUPID SON OF HADES!!” He rubbed at his eyes where hot tears were forming. Never again would he get another chance…

“Why are you Apollo kids always so melodramatic?”   
Will’s heart stopped. He turned around and there stood Nico di Angelo. He ran towards him, laughing breathlessly not knowing whether to hit him or hug him. But when he got closer he saw that something was terribly wrong. 

Nico was fading away. 

His knees buckled and he wasn’t even solid enough for Will to catch. Dark shadows were pooling all around him, drifting off him like steam. For the first time ever, Nico looked terrified.  
“Hey, stay with me! Just focus on my voice!” He knelt beside him and looked into his eyes that were full of fear.   
“I don’t think I’m going to make it…I don’t have any strength left to resist.”

“Don’t think about that! Just focus on my voice. My stupidly annoying voice. I’m-I won’t leave you, so you’re not alone, ok?”  
Nico looked up at him and offered a weak smile. He seemed to genuinely appreciate those words. “Did you really mean what you said?”   
“Of course! I really want to help you Nico. I-I mean I know I can be abrasive but I really want to be your friend, maybe even something else if you’d let me.” His face began to flame with those last words but he didn’t regret them. 

Nico gave a weak laugh. One could barely tell it, but he had silent tears slipping down his cheek. “It’s funny. I’ve prayed many times to just slip away into the shadows. No one needed me. I wouldn’t be missed. I’ve thought this for so long. And no matter how much I prayed, it never happened.”   
Nico really was crying now. His entire face scrunched up and his shoulders were shaking. He choked back sobs that were filled with so much pain. Will tentatively reached towards him, trying to offer him any kind of solace but his hand passed clean through.

“I’m so scared, Will. For the first time since I can even remember, I don’t want to disappear. The camps are reunited, Hazel is safe and happy, and I-I’ve gotten so much closure in the last few days. I’ve made so much progress and now it’s not even going to matter because I’ll just disappear. It’s not fair!” His sobs shook his entire body, soul wrenching sobs that made Will’s chest ache. “I’m so scared, Will. I don’t want to fade away. Not now. Not when everything is going so damn well.” 

For some reason, a popular folk song the Apollo kids loved to sing popped into his head. So he did:

On the banks of the Roses,  
My love and I sat down,  
And I took out my violin   
To play my love a tune,  
In the middle of the tune,  
Oh, she sighed and she said,  
O-ro, Johnny, lovely Johnny,  
Would you leave me?

Oh, when I was a young man  
I heard my father say,  
That he'd rather see me dead  
And buried in the clay,  
Sooner than be married  
To any runaway,  
By the lovely sweet Banks  
of the Roses.

Oh, then I am no runaway  
And soon I'll let them know,  
I can take a good glass  
Or can leave it alone;  
And the man that does not like me  
He can keep his daughter at home  
And young Johnny will go roving  
with another.

And if ever I get married  
'Twill be in the month of May,  
When the leaves they are green  
And the meadows they are gay;  
And I and my true love  
Can sit and sport and play  
On the lovely sweet Banks  
of the Roses.

As Will belted out the last note, Nico was slowly and slowly becoming more solid. He hummed the rest of the tune until every last shadow had been banished from Nico. His arms swayed beneath him and Will caught him before he could fall face first. He was shaking all over; quickly gasping at the air around him, as if he couldn’t get enough of it. Will smoothed the hair out his eyes, stroking down his cheek and neck as if to make sure he was really there. Nico’s fingers tangled into his shirt, gripping so hard that his knuckles turned white.   
He leaned down and whispered, “Don’t worry. I’ve got you now and I’m never letting you go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song lyrics are from "The Banks of Roses" by Lesley Nelson Burns. "This Irish tune dates from the end of the 18th century. Its origins are in Limerick. It is also known as The Banks of the Red Roses." 
> 
> Also if this is to sappy, you can blame all those stupid ballads I listened to while writing this. 
> 
> As always comments and kudos are appreciated!


	3. Day Three

When Nico felt himself coming back into the realm of consciousness, he felt extremely comfortable. His entire body felt like it was enveloped in a thousand fluffy clouds. And for once he had actually dreamed of nice things; a field of flowers, walking along the beach, being surrounded by his friends. That had been the oddest thing, since his dreams always involved nightmares. But when he cracked one eye open, he soon figured out why. He was in the Hypnos cabin laying on a feather down comforter. Which felt absolutely amazing, by the way. When he redesigned the Hades cabin, he’d have to put a few of these in there. 

A chorus of snores reached his ears. Every single kid in the room was fast asleep; including the one beside him gripping his hand for dear life. Usually any sort of touch would have freaked him out, but now he just felt relieved. Relieved that Will was here. Relieved that he was still here. He’d been so scared. More scared than he’d ever been. Maybe because for the first time he actually cared what happened to himself. He leaned down and touched his forehead to Will’s. The blonde’s eyelashes fluttered lightly. He muttered something unintelligible and went back to snoring. Nico poked him in the cheek until he slapped his hand away.   
“Imma tryin’ to sleep here,” he drawled. “Waitin’ for Nico to wake up…”

“But Nico is up.”  
Will’s eyes flew open in an instant. He launched himself towards Nico and tackled him into a hug, laughing like a mad man. “Oh gods, you’re ok! I was so worried! You slept forever-granted most people do in here-but still! Thank Apollo! Hell, I’ll even thank Hades.”

Will nuzzled into his neck, his arms thrown around his and touching every inch of his skin, clothes, even his hair like he was trying to make sure he was really there. An unfamiliar feeling rose up in Nico’s gut. He felt hot all over like he would burst into flames at any second. Slowly he wrapped his arms around Will’s back and drew him closer. He felt nice. Sturdy and strong, but also safe. Nico buried his nose into Will’s blonde hair and silently noted that he smelled nice as well. His hands ached to travel further down, to touch more, to discover more about Will. But Will was drawing away as was probably for the best. Nico was glad to know that Will was blushing and looked just as flustered as he did. Both of them probably needed a good dip in the ocean right about now. 

“How did I get in here?” Nico asked.  
“Oh, I carried you here. Clovis said you could sleep here until you woke up, though I don’t think he minded all that much. The hardest thing was for me to get him to stay awake long enough so he could send you out some nice dream vibes.” 

Nico was shocked. “You did all that for me?”  
“Duh, of course I did.” Will looked flat out embarrassed now. “I’d do anything for you.”  
“Um, we should get out of here,” Nico whispered. “You know before we fall asleep again.”

“That’s a good idea.” Will took Nico’s hand and helped him out of bed. He was still weak, so he leaned against Will for support which he didn’t mind at all. Walking outside, Nico had never been so glad to feel the sunshine on his skin. It felt incredible; like it was heating up his entire body and warming him from the inside out. 

“Nico!” Somebody was screaming his name and when he looked around for the source he saw Hazel running frantically towards him. Jason and Piper followed closely behind her. She ran up to him, but didn’t tackle him thank the gods. Her gold eyes were shining with worry. She looked like she hadn’t slept a wink in days.   
“Hazel, you look terrible.”   
She stared at him for a solid minute, then burst out laughing. “I could say the same for you. Have you even seen yourself?”

“Yeah man, you have a wicked case of the bed head.” Jason piped in.   
“Well I did just camp out in the Hypnos cabin.” He reached out for Hazel who eagerly stepped into his arms for a hug.   
“I was so worried! When Will texted me about what happened I came as fast as I could. I hand fed you necter and ambrosia till you at least gained a bit of your coloring back.” She looked like she was about to cry so Nico gave her a kiss on the forehead. 

“I’m sorry I worried you. It won’t happen again, I promise.”   
She looked skeptical but Will suddenly piped in. “You don’t have to worry about him. I’m going to be stuck to him like glue. He ain’t leaving my sight until I deem him cured.”   
Hazel heaved a sigh of relief and smiled at Will. Nico, who was still leaning against him for support, noticed that Piper and Jason were exchanging little knowing glances and smiles. For once he didn’t care, though. He leaned further into Will and tightened his grip on the back of his shirt. He sighed, genuinely happy. 

“Hey Hazel,” Piper came up and put a hand on her shoulder. “Maybe we should let those two have a bit of privacy?”   
Hazel looked back and forth between Piper and Nico. “But~”  
“Yeah, we need to um go talk about some stuff anyway.” Jason came up and started guiding her toward the mess hall.   
“What stuff?” 

Jason gave her a hard glare. “You know stuff we need to discuss.” He winked at her, which looked like he was having some sort of fit.   
“Um, ok?” She turned her head around and gave Nico a fierce look. “I’ll also be keeping an eye on you. Don’t let him do anything stupid Will.”   
“You got it.”

Nico watched Piper and Jason march a muttering Hazel across the field until he couldn’t hear her protests anymore.   
“Let’s go somewhere private and talk.”   
Nico looked up at Will and nodded. “We can go to my cabin. No one will bother us there.”   
“You got it, sunshine.” With the help of Will, Nico was able to limp all the way to cabin 13. Will offered to carry him multiple times but Nico drew the line at that. When they stepped into the room, Will cocked an eyebrow. 

“Don’t say one word at the décor. I’m planning on redecorating.”   
“Ok. Should I just grab a seat on the nearest coffin then?”   
Nico pinched his side and earned a gratifying reaction of pain. Will helped him lay down, even propping his feet and back up on the satin pillows.   
“When you redecorate you should really consider adding some more light. It’s kind of depressing.” 

As Will walked around and offered home décor tips, Nico leaned back and comfortably listened to him. It was easy to be in his presence. He didn’t feel pressured to make conversation or be something that he wasn’t. Will could easily make small talk about anything and Nico just smiled and listened to him chatter about anything and everything. Finally Will sat down cross legged in front of him, his face growing serious. 

“So…where do we go from here?”   
“What do you mean?”  
Will rolled his eyes. “Come on, di Angelo. I mean are we friends or…you know, something more.” Will slid his eyes away blushing. “Because I kind of like you and…yeah. I-I know you’ve had a lot happen to you and I want you to be able to confide in me as a friend or-or anything. That’s how I really feel. Felt. For a while anyway.” Will had rushed out all his words and now was trying to reclaim his breath. Nico recognized the look that Will had in his eyes now. It was the same look that he’d been giving Percy for years. He’d been so wrapped up in his own personal self-loathing and pity that he hadn’t noticed the possibilities of a good thing right in front of his very eyes. Until now. 

He took Will’s fingers and threaded them through his own. “I haven’t been able to share anything about myself with anyone. Or wouldn’t. I was too scared. Of rejection. Of bringing up painful memories. But maybe you can be the first.”  
Will grinned, his dimples flashing brightly and eyes shining with relief. 

“I’m not gonna promise that I’ll be able to share everything right away. I’m still working on all this stuff.”  
Will brought his hand to his lips and ran it lightly across. His breath tickled Nico’s skin. “I’ll be here. To listen. Or whatever you need. I personally think you’ve been on your own for far too long. And if you let me, I’d like to be here. For you.” 

Nico grinned shyly. “Ok.”   
“Ok,” Will grinned. “Maybe you could share something right now? It doesn’t have to be anything huge or whatever.”   
Nico thought for a minute. “I was born in Italy. In Venice, 1928.”  
Will whistled. His eyebrows soaring up into his hairline. “Wow. OK. I don’t think I have anything that interesting. Um…I can make spaghetti? That counts as Italian, I guess.”   
Nico laughed. “Yeah, I guess it does. Um, when I was younger, I was obsessed with the game Mythomagic.” 

“That’s adorable. I used to play as well.”   
If Nico hadn’t been so distracted by Will calling him adorable, he would have geeked out so hard. He would have inquired about every single figurine and deck he owned.   
“Can you speak Italian?” Will asked. 

“Yeah.”   
“Say something then!”   
“Ok. Um… mi piaci davvero.”   
Will looked really impressed. “I can’t speak another language but I can bust out some sick raps.”   
Nico burst out laughing. He couldn’t help it. He kept imagining Will with a visor turned backwards and saggy pants or whatever it was that rappers generally wore. It was ridiculous imagery. 

“Hey! Don’t you know the most famous rappers are kids of Apollo?”   
Nico just snorted into his hand. Will snickered and scooted closer to Nico. So close that all laughter died in his throat, replaced with nervous ‘ums.’  
“I have something that I really want to share with you,” Will whispered into his ear.   
“Uh, w-what is it?” 

“I really want to kiss you. Is that ok?”   
“Y-yeah…I think that would be more than ok.” 

So Will kissed him. He leaned in close and at first Nico was so nervous that he thought that his heart would hammer right out of his chest. But then Will’s lips were on his own and they were soft and gentle, hot and sweet. His entire body erupted. He felt hot and shaky all throughout his stomach, but it wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, it was the best feeling that he’d ever felt. Will deepened the kiss when Nico didn’t pull away. He put his hands on his cheeks, caressing him softly. He ran his fingers through his hair, scratching and pulling. Nico’s control seemed to snap at that point. He pulled Will closer to him, feeling his hot breath ghost over him. Nico’s abdomen was so tight now it was almost embarrassing. He involuntarily groaned which just spurred on Will even more. He took Nico’s bottom lip into his mouth and sucked on it, pulled it with his teeth and gods…it felt amazing. He felt Will’s tongue trace his pallet. Any other time he would have been weirded out by having someone else’s tongue in his mouth, but this was different. It felt right. They were a tangled mess of teeth and tongue, nowhere near perfect but Nico didn’t care. At the moment, he felt on top of the world and he never wanted it to end. 

When they broke away, Nico’s breath was ragged and he had the strongest urge to go to the bathroom. Will wasn’t faring any better. His face was flushed and eyes dangerously wild.   
“Gods, I’ve wanted to do that forever,” Will rasped out.   
“Yeah?” Nico looked over at Will and grinned.   
“Was it…um..alright?”   
“Gods, yes.” Nico’s voice was way too desperate for his usual liking but right now he didn’t give a damn.   
Will heaved a huge sigh. “Good. Because I don’t know what I would have done if you told me I couldn’t do it again.” 

“You can definitely do it again.”   
So they did.   
**  
That night Nico was visited by his dad. He was still reeling from his day with Will. He thought the grin from his face would never ever leave. And he kept replaying their kisses and the words that came after it over and over.   
“So, does this mean we’re together?” Will asked, his face full of hope.   
“If I let you slide your tongue down my throat then I think you can take that as a yes.” 

Will had wooped with laughter and gathered Nico in a bone crushing hug. He hadn’t minded, though. He just laughed right along with him and let Will smother him with kisses. He was back in the infirmary as Will wasn’t going to let him off the hook just because they were dating now. But Nico didn’t mind. He didn’t want to stay in the Hades cabin anyway. It was too dark and he felt too alone. He had texted Will until he fell asleep, his face the last thing he remembered before he drifted off to dream world.   
Which was quickly replaced by the creepy grin of the Lord of the Dead. 

“Oh…”   
“Oh?! Is that anyway to greet you dad, Nico?” Hades feigned shock, which wasn’t really that hard for him.   
“What do you want, Father?”  
“A son of Apollo, Nico. Really?”

Nico sighed. Of course this was about Will. “Look Dad, I-“  
Hades held up his hand. “I’m not finished. Even though I’ve had to listen to that git’s horrible haikus all day, I’m happy for you.”   
“Really?” Nico hadn’t expected that. 

“Yes! I can recite one, see:

Light and Dark combine  
Our sons will be together  
For eternity  
The Lord of the Underworld should not be reciting poetry!” Hades seemed genuinely disgusted. “At least you’ve seemed to have gotten over your infatuation with Percy Jackson.” Hades fake gagged. “I was really getting sick of that.”

Nico sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know. You’ve already informed me.”   
“At least this kid reminds me of Persephone.” Hades eyes cloud over, taking over a lust filled look. “I guess darkness will always be attracted to the light.”   
Ok, even for Hades that was incredibly lame. 

“Are we done here?” Nico asked.   
Hades came back to the present and walked over to his son. The next thing he did, Nico never would have believed if Nico hadn’t experienced it himself. Hades hugged him.   
“I’m glad you’re happy, son. I meant what I said in that chapel. You really deserve it.”  
“Um…thank you.” Then he wrapped his arms around his dad and hugged the Lord of the Dead.   
“I’ll be watching you. If he tries anything, I’ll be sure to prepare him a rather nasty spot in the Underworld.” Then Hades disappeared in a flash of green, laughing. 

**  
Nico woke with a start. Will was right beside him, eyeing him nervously.   
“Is everything alright?”  
Nico stared into Will’s blue eyes and immediately calmed down. He scooted closer and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.   
“Everything’s great.”   
“Good,” Will smiled and kissed him back  
“Just don’t anger my dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "mi piaci davvero" means "I really like you"
> 
> Wow, I finished it! Thank you so much for everyone who commented and gave me kudos! This was super fun to write and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I!
> 
> I'm planning on doing a sequel in which Nico and WIll are a bit older and I can delve deeper into their relationship (plus make it more smutty) and have them be more cutesy and fluffy. This story was about getting them together. I'd love the sequel to be me exploring their relationship. So please keep an eye out for it!

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written anything for the Percy Jackson or the Heroes of Olympus series so please alert me if I get anything wrong. Comments and kudos and greatly appreciated!
> 
> Also Im choosing to ignore the phone rule because how cute is it that these two dorks text and snapchat each other?


End file.
